Search Documents

By C. F. Willis

The problem of the curtailment of forces in large numbers does not often come to employment departments and is, therefore, a problem that many departments are not prepared to handle intelligently. Those companies that are able to measure the individual efficiency of each man would probably lay off men according to their individual ability, irrespective of dependents, citizenship, or other considerations. During the war when labor was scarce, the business of the employment manager in industry was hiring men and carefully placing them where they were best fitted to work. The careful selection of employees had developed to a considerable extent before the war, and was becoming a recognized science. In the last few months, however, the cancelation of copper contracts, the accumulation of large stocks, the necessary curtailment of production because the copper could not be sold, and the lack of any immediate prospects of' the copper market opening, have led to a universal reduction of forces, and the problem that industry now confronts is that of discharging rather than employing. The problem has been aggravated by the cancellation of contracts in many war industries with the consequent turning loose of hundreds of thousands of men, a great amount of unemployment, and the return of the soldiers and sailors. The problem has now become one of reduction of working force with the least hardship and the least injustice, and yet caring for the soldiers, sailors, and marines who have been in the service of the government for nearly 2 years, and are now returning to their pre-war positions. The Copper Queen Branch of the Phelps Dodge Corpn., operating at Bisbee, Arb., found it necessary, like all of the other copper companies of the country, to reduce its force materially. In making this reduction it was, after due consideration, decided to classify employees with respect to dependents, length of service, and citizenship. The question of individual efficiency or workmanship was not considered. Copper produced to sell at 26 c. a lb. has been selling at under 15 c., and very little copper is being sold at all. Practically every copper producer in the country has enormous stocks on hand, and it would be profitable,

Jan 1, 1920

By M. C. Fuerstenau, R. B. Bhappu

The response of beryl to sulfonate flotation was examined. The dependence of flotation recovery on sulfonate concentration, pH, and the absence or presence of various ions is also demonstrated. The response of quartz and feldspar to sulfonate flotation at various values of pH is given to. show the conditions necessary for selective separation. Finally, beryl was successfully concentrated from a natural ore using a technique devised from experimental observations on systems of pure minerals. With the possible exception of quartz, the flotation characteristics of silicate minerals are rather poorly understood. This is due in part to the com- plexity of the mineral systems themselves and in part to an insufficient amount of flotation data. The complexity of the systems arises from the wide range of chemical composition that the silicate minerals can assume. This is reflected in the variability of such physical properties as hardness and cleavage. Although the chemical composition of silicate minerals can vary considerably, a general grouping can be accomplished conveniently on the basis of the assemblage of SiO4 tetrahedra in all the silicates. That is, it has been shown that six basic groups can be obtained, depending on the arrangement of oxygen sharing between adjacent silicon atoms (or substituted aluminum). When all four oxygen atoms are shared, a framework structure such as quartz or feldspar is obtained. When three oxygens are shared, infinite sheets are obtained as in the micas and clays. When two oxygen atoms of the tetrahedra are shared, infinite chains are obtained, such as those in

Jan 1, 1963

By C. J. Osborn

In oral discussion at the Columbus midyear meeting, September 26, 1949, these pertinent questions were asked: Was a satisfactory separation of metal and matte obtained? The matte was quite fluid and in most cases the separation was satisfactory. Were the mattes chlorinated after aging? The mattes were stored in sealed glass mason jars, and chlorina-tion experiments made after standing for several weeks gave satisfactory results. Was ferric chloride volatilized? Most of the iron content of the matte was converted to ferric chloride. However, because of the low chlorination temperatures used (150" to 250°C) the major part of the ferric chloride remained with the residue. Undoubtedly, some ferrous chloride was also formed, because of the reducing conditions within the reaction vessel, but no effort was made to separate it from the ferric chloride. Could the reaction be stopped before making metallic iron? No attempt was ever made to stop the reaction before making metallic iron. Generally, 20 to 60 pct of the iron in the charge was obtained as metallic iron which could be readily separated from the matte. In certain cases, metallic iron was dispersed through the matte in the form of globules, which could be removed by magnetic separation. Could other sulphides, i.e., calcium sulphide or sodium sulphide be used in place of iron sulphide? No other sulphides were investigated. It was felt that titanates of calcium and sodium would be formed should these sulphides be used to replace the pyrite. What were the sulphur volatilization losses during matte smelting? In the course of this laboratory investigation, a rather wide variety of variables was introduced from highly oxidizing to reducing conditions and various ratios of pyrite, rutile, and coke. These and other factors all have a definite bearing on the sulphur losses. In general, the higher the sulphur in the charge the higher were the sulphur losses and the percentage of titanium in the matte decreased. With sulphur additions more nearly the theoretical amount, the sulphur losses averaged approximately 10 to 15 pct. With a higher percentage of sulphur on the charges, the losses were in the order of 15 to 30 pct.

Jan 1, 1951

By J. French Robinson

A review of production in the Eastern District for 1930 is necessarily brief. Drilling operations were curtailed, due to economic conditions, which in turn reduced production. However, in spite of these conditions, there have been a few outstanding developments which surpass any of recent years. The development of a field in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, New York, has been rapid and probably reached its peak of production in 1930. The gas in this field comes from the White Medina Sand (Silurian), at an average depth of 2600 ft. Some of the wells had an open flow of 20,000,000 cu. ft. of gas per day,' with an original rock pressure of 965 pounds2 per square inch. Another area developed during 1930 was the Tyrone field, in Tyrone Township, Schuyler County, New York. This field was discovered 2nd is practically controlled by the Belmont Quadrangle Drilling Corpn. of New York. The production is from the Oriskany Sand (Devonian), which is found at an average depth of 2100 ft. The field covers approximately 2000 acres, and to date has 14 producing gas wells. The largest well had an open flow of 15,000,000 cu. ft. and an original rock pressure of 740 Ib. The gas from this field is impregnated with sulfur, and requires washing before it is marketed. Because little is known of the Oriskany Sand, a brief description may be of interest. This sand outcrops at Oriskany Falls, New York, and has a thickness of 10 to 12 ft. Its texture is coarse grained, it is composed mostly of quartz and is a regularly bedded sandstone. At Yauger's Wood, in Cayuga County, New York, it is exposed and shows a thickness of 26 feet. The discovery of the Tyrone field led to much prospecting in the New York and the northern part of Pennsylvania, and as a result of this search, the Allegany Gas Co. struck a large gas well in Farmington Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, which created considerable excitement through the Eastern District. The gas was encountered at a depth of 4010 ft., and tested 20,000,000 cu. ft. open flow, with a shut-in pressure

Jan 1, 1931

By Nicholas J. Palethorpe

BACKGROUND Before addressing the above topic in any detail, it is pertinent to provide some background on Australia for those people who have not been there or who have a limited knowledge of our continent. Australia is approximately the size of the continental U.S.A. (excluding Alaska) covering an area of approximately 7 million square kilometres. It has a very dry climate which has led to a concentration of people in major cities scattered around the continents perimeter. Australia's population is currently approximately 15 million. Of the work force of 6.3 million, 72% work in tertiary industries, 20.2% in manufacture, 6.5% in agriculture and 1.3% in mining. Agriculture accounts for 46% of exports, mining for 31% and manufacturing for 23,. Economic activity is based on:- Agriculture This is capital intensive and covers extensive areas and is reliant on low cost farming. A.range of foods and fibres are produced with over 70% of production being exported. Such products are of course subject to the usual vagaries of world market demand and market access, particularly in regard to the operation of trade blocks such as the E.E.C. Mineral Resources A wide range of minerals and an abundance of iron ore, coal, gas and uranium resources provide an increasing volume of exports. However, Autralia's oil resources at present only supply approximately 70% of local requirements. Industry This is diverse and encompasses the processing of agricultural products and mineral ores as well as helping to supply the consumer and capital goods needs of the whole community. However, the small scale of local markets, the geographic isolation of Australia and relatively high wage costs have limited the scale of Australia's industry. Advanced technology has overcome some of these difficulties and high tariff and import quotas protect local producers from the full force of international competition. In 1980/81 Australia's Gross Domestic Product amounted to $130 billion with approximately 24% of this being devoted to investment. In the past decade Australia has experienced inflation rates ranging from 5% to 17% and only modest real growth rates ranging from 0.4% to 5% per annum. We have also experienced, as have many other industrialised nations, continuing wage and price increases. Unemployment presently stands at 6%. MINERAL DEVELOPMENT As the above figures indicate, Australia's continuing prosperity is very dependent on the mineral and agricultrual sectors of our economy. The dependence on these sectors is highlighted by the table below which indicates our position in a global context. [Australian Production of Minerals in a World Context Western World % Total Western World Position Mineral Production 1980 1st Rutile 75 Ilmenite 31 Zircon 70 Bauxite 36 Iron Ore 11 Tungsten 14 2nd Lead (Conc.) 15 3rd Manganese Ore 14 Brown Coal 11 (1979) Zinc (Conc.) 10 4thSilver (Conc.) 10 Nickel 6 5th Tin (Conc.) 5 6th Black Coal 5 Gold 2 Source: Mining Annual Review 1981] The total value of all mineral and fuel exports in 1980/81 is estimated at $5.9 billion. This prominence in the world mineral production has largely been achieved in the last 15 - 20 years. In fact, in the early 1960's, Australia had only 2 major mining export centres, Broken Hill in New South Wales and Mt. Isa in Queensland. This growth is highlighted by the fact that in 1963, for example, we exported only 9 tonnes of iron ore and less than 4 million tonnes of coal. In 1980/81 we exported 75m. tonnes ',of iron ore (valued at $1,117m.) and 47m. tonnes of coal valued at $1,965m.). The growth in our mineral industry has come about because of a number of factors. Abundance of Mineral Resources We are particularly well endowed with mineral resources, as indicated below.

Jan 1, 1982

By K. R. Price, M. Gauna

A high seam geologic condition exists at Jim Walter Resources No. 4 mine that requires immediate rib support after a continuous miner cuts a place. High seam mining heights are typically 2.4 to 2.6 m (8 to 9 ft) and a thick rock layer is present in the upper portion of the coal rib side. The 610-m (2000 ft) mining depth at No. 4 mine induces horizontal rib line movement after excavating an entry. Horizontal rib movement greater than 305 mm (12 in.) have been noted. When lateral movement occurs in the high seam areas, the thick rock layer, and the coal above the rock layer, become fractured and tend to roll into the entry. If not adequately supported, large rib rolls develop in the place being bolted as well as in previously mined areas that endanger men and equipment. To control this, rib support must be installed in the roof bolting operation as the bolting crew works toward the face. A rib control system has been developed for this high seam mining condition using a mechanical anchor bolt placed at an angle in the rib and installed with a modified Fletcher DDM-15 bolting machine. More than 120 km (75 miles) of entry have been supported with angle rib bolts. These angle bolts constitute 43% to 60% of the total roof and rib bolt footage in the high seam portions of No. 4 mine. The angle rib bolting system has proven safer, more effective, and more efficient than the earlier support method using bolts installed horizontally into the rib. No rib roll accidents have occurred since the angle drill bolting machines were placed in service in 1981. By securing the broken rib material with an angle bolt anchored above the coal pillar, a more effective means of rib control is achieved. Angle rib bolting does not interfere with continuous miner productivity. In addition, bolting crews are now reduced from three to two people. Total drilling supply costs are about 60% the previous cost, when compared to the previous support method using horizontal rib bolts:

Jan 1, 1985

By M. J. Taylor

A common method of classifying non-water- impounding mine waste structures is necessary to facilitate professional comnunications within the industry and between representatives of industry and government. Camnon classifications can a1 so he1 p quickly create and maintain a mental picture of the structures being discussed. Three categories for classification presented in this paper include: (1) configuration and location with respect to existing topography. (2) material characteristics of waste, and (3) environmental sensitivity or characteristic; of the disposal area. Configuration and location classification involve terminologies typically utilized for waste dumps over the past several years. General classification categories for non-impounding structures include: (a) valley-fill, (b) cross-valley, (c) side-hill, (d) ridge, and (e) heaped. Material characteristics can govern the location, engineering details, and environmental sensitivity of the waste structure. Material classification includes: (a) hazardous, (b) non-hazardous, (c) inert, (d) fugitive dust susceptible and (e) leachate susceptible. A1 though many characteristics are potentially applicable, this paper will focus on the categories mentioned above. Environmental sensitivity of a waste structure encompasses many objective and subjective evaluations plus many multi-disciplinary considerations. Environmental sensitivity incorporates numerous factors in addition to those highlighted in configuration and location, and material characteristic classifications. A few examples of how this categorization can govern the engineering design and location of waste dumps are provided in this paper. In addition to the verbal descriptions of classifications, a simplified version of the combined classifications with an alphanumeric format and its methodology is discussed in this paper. Surface water controls often govern the classification or vice versa. In order to maintain a non- impounding status, water must be prevented from collecting behind the structures. Depending on material characteristics, water inflow to or over the site can cause significant environmental or human consequences. Finally, the access of water to the waste dumps can play a large role in the degree of environmental sensitivity to the site. This paper provides a framework in which to discuss the other aspects of this conference and also provides insights as to how the framework is based on actual practice.

Jan 1, 1985

By H. E. Rorschach

Oil-field activities in Oklahoma made 1936 the best year since 1930. Approximately 2800 wells were completed, an increase of about 20 per cent over 1935. Purchasers' reports filed with the Corporation Commission showed a total of 200,240,252 bbl. of oil purchased from leases in 1936. The assembly of a complete table of the oil fields of the state was not achieved, as many of the early records of operators and pipe-line companies are not complete, and data for the older fields will perhaps never be fully tabulated. Table 1 includes all of the new fields and most of the important fields of the State of Oklahoma. The outstanding developments of the year were: the discovery of rich Wilcox-sand production in the Moore pool; the spectacular drilling campaign in the Capitol or Mansion extension in the Oklahoma City pool; the surprising extension of the Olympic pool and the Hunton lime zone in the Fitts pool; and the failure to find more Ordovician production in southern Oklahoma. Wildcat discoveries, which were on a par with 1935, resulted in the discovery of such promising pools as Billings-Wilcox, North Bethel, North Earlsboro and North Lucien. The Fitts-Upper Simpson, Edmond, Jesse, Keokuk Falls and South Burbank pools underwent considerable development. Fitts Pool.—The Fitts area in Pontotoc County was greatly extended during the year and was the leader in drilling activity in the state. The producing limits were pushed to the east and north and the development of the Hunton lime horizon was outstanding. In the Upper Simpson zone 162 wells were completed; 137 in the Hunton lime zone and 26 in the Wilcox zone. The Oil Creek zone, a sand body below the Wilcox member, was discovered by the Magnolia-Statler No. 3 well located in the 1/4. 1/4 of sec. 28-2N.-7E. Moore Pool.—The Moore pool, in Cleveland County, which was opened in 1935 by the Sinclair Prairie-Franklin Community No. 1 well, surprised the oil industry when the Sinclair Prairie-Marvel No. 1 well, on Apr. 1, 1936, discovered a rich body of Wilcox sand below the distillate

Jan 1, 1937

By Victor L. Stevens

The Oso tunnel is one of three tunnels located on the San Juan-Chama Project in south-central Colorado. The purpose of the tunnel is to carry water from the upper San Juan watershed through the Continental Divide into the Rio Grande watershed. The Oso tunnel contract was awarded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to a joint venture of Boyles Brothers Drilling Co., Gibbons & Reed Co., and Cimco in February 1966. The Oso tunnel is 26,660 ft long and has a rock section of 10 ft, 2 in. with a lined diameter of 8 ft circular. The main portion of the rock formation was in the Lewis shale. This formation is quite consistent in hardness and texture with exception of localized limestone concretions and sandy siltstone inclusions. The job was bid on the basis of using a James S. Robbins mole of the P221 series. The decision for using a mole was predicated on the geology and the experience of the same joint venture on the adjoining Azotea tunnel where a mole was successfully used. The Robbins P221 series mole is capable of cutting from 9 ft, 11 in. to a 10 ft, 7 in. diam without any major change. It is 40 ft long and weighs 60 tons. The cutting head has 22 disk-type cutters and one center pilot (standard 9 7/8 -in.) tricone bit. The head is powered by four 75 hp electric motors. Gripper pads at about the midway point on each side of the machine are pushed into the tunnel ribs and thrust-cylinders in front of each gripper apply pressure to the face as the head rotates. The regripping cycle is 3 ft and then the grippers are retracted and advanced. Each cutter on the perimeter of the head is followed by a bucket which scoops up the cut material, almost in the same manner as a water wheel, and dumps it into a conveyor situated along the top of the mole. The muck from the mole conveyor is dumped into a gantry-type conveyor. The gantry conveyor is 350 ft long and is pulled

Jan 1, 1970

William R. Walker, assistant to the president of the U. S. Steel Corpn., died at St. Luke's Hospital, New York, on Dec. 20, 1922. He was born at LaPort, Ind., Nov. 26, 1857, and his whole career has been closely identified with the iron and steel industry. His first employment was with the North Chicago Rolling Mill Co., Chicago; then he was appointed chemist for the Crown Point Iron Co., at Crown Point, N. Y.; and later he was works superintendent for Spang, Chalfant & Co., of Pittsburgh. He was early associated with Robert Forsyth, the well-known engineer who constructed the South Chicago works of the North Chicago Rolling Mill Company. Prior to 1890, Mr. Walker was works manager for the Union Steel Co., and upon organization of the Illinois Steel Co. he became general manager of its South Chicago works. At the time of the formation of the U. S. Steel Corpn., in 1901, he was appointed assistant to the president, which position he held until the time of his death. Through the technical staffs and committees of the Steel Corpora tion, Mr. Walker had an excellent opportunity to study and direct the development of mechanical methods for coal mining, coal washing, beehive coking, including the collection and recovery of its byproducts, and to interest himself in byproduct coke ovens, and the design and operation of processes for the coking of special coal mixtures. He also brought his experience to bear on the design, construction and operation of the blast furnace and its appurtenances, as well as the bessemer, open-hearth and electric steel processes. Incidentally, he was interested in microscopy and metallography, and was familiar with the manufacture of products related to the iron and steel industry, such as tin, zinc, sulfuric acid and many other substances. Mr. Walker had the remarkable faculty of being able to discuss and conduct investigations in practically any technical branch of the ferrous industry. In the words of President James A. Farrell, "Mr. Wdker was a man of keen mental attainments and possessed an exceptional knowledge of the iron and steel industry, from both the scientific and the practical

Jan 1, 1923

William R. Walker, assistant to the president of the U. S. Steel Corpn., died at St. Luke's Hospital, New York, on Dec. 20, 1922. He was born at LaPort, Ind., Nov. 26, 1857, and his whole career has been closely identified with the iron and steel industry. His first employment was with the North Chicago Rolling Mill Co., Chicago; then he was appointed chemist for the Crown Point Iron Co., at Crown Point, N. Y.; and later he was works superintendent for Spang, Chalfant & Co., of Pittsburgh. He was early associated with Robert Forsyth, the well-known engineer who constructed the South Chicago works of the North Chicago Rolling Mill Company. Prior to 1890, Mr. Walker was works manager for the Union Steel Co., and upon organization of the Illinois Steel Co. he became general manager of its South Chicago works. At the time of the formation of the U. S. Steel Corpn., in 1901, he was appointed assistant to the president, which position he held until the time of his death. Through the technical staffs and committees of the Steel Corpora tion, Mr. Walker had an excellent opportunity to study and direct the development of mechanical methods for coal mining, coal washing, beehive coking, including the collection and recovery of its byproducts, and to interest himself in byproduct coke ovens, and the design and operation of processes for the coking of special coal mixtures. He also brought his experience to bear on the design, construction and operation of the blast furnace and its appurtenances, as well as the bessemer, open-hearth and electric steel processes. Incidentally, he was interested in microscopy and metallography, and was familiar with the manufacture of products related to the iron and steel industry, such as tin, zinc, sulfuric acid and many other substances. Mr. Walker had the remarkable faculty of being able to discuss and conduct investigations in practically any technical branch of the ferrous industry. In the words of President James A. Farrell, "Mr. Wdker was a man of keen mental attainments and possessed an exceptional knowledge of the iron and steel industry, from both the scientific and the practical

Jan 1, 1923

By Wilson B. Emery

The Hidden Dome gas field, situated in Washakie County, Wyoming, was discovered Sept. 26, 1917. Subsequently five additional gas wells were completed and a large reserve was developed. For a number of years this field completely supplied the domestic market at Basin and Greybull, as well as the refinery at the latter town, and it is still supplying gas in small amounts to this market. Production is obtained from the sands of the Frontier formation at depths ranging from 1000 to 1500 ft. The original rock pressure was 725 Ib. and initial production ranged from 4,000,000 to 28,000,000 cu. ft. per day per well. Porosity of the sand, determined from the size of the productive area and the amount of gas recovered, is over 18 per cent. Area and Management It is estimated that the productive area is about 640 acres. Its outline is indicated on Fig. 5, on which are also shown the locations of holes drilled on the structure and the area of unit operation. The unit area is owned by the Ohio Oil Co. and development and operation have been by this company. No productive well has been completed outside this area. The entire area was Government land filed on under the placer mining law. Results of Unit Operation With six producing wells, or an average of one to each 160 acres, the pool is completely developed. Location of the wells was made with respect to structural conditions plus the requirement that at least one well be drilled on each 160-acre placer claim. Perhaps a somewhat more uniform spacing of the wells might have been accomplished and one well eliminated, but it must be borne in mind that the holes, on account of their shallow depth, were not expensive and that the object was to develop as reliable a reserve as possible. There is no cause to suspect that these holes have not adequately drained the reservoir and there is every reason to think that any additional wells, which might have been drilled under diversified ownership and operation, would have been an economic waste. Unit operation by a competent company has not only resulted in the elimination of loss of gas through careless development and operation

Jan 1, 1930

By David Keys

THE object of this investigation was to determine with a vertical magnetic variometer the extent of the titaniferous ore deposit that occurs not far from Ivry in Terrebonne County, Quebec, about 70 miles north of Montreal. The Ivry mine, on lots 37 and 38 of range V, Beres-ford township, Quebec, is one of the largest and most accessible to transportation of the deposits of ilmenite in Quebec. The ore consists of an aggregate of ilmenite anhedra serving as host for numerous fine plaques of hematite. No magnetite is known from any occurrence near this lot, and in this way the deposit differs from many others that contain a large percentage of magnetite with the ilmenite. The deposit at Ivry thus has much lower magnetic susceptibility than those containing abun-dant magnetite, and a sensitive magnetometer was necessary for the work, although a body of magnetite with ilmenite about a mile from the Ivry mine was successfully prospected with a dip needle. The principal orebody is exposed in a quarry known as the Ivry mine, from which about 16,000 tons of ore have been shipped. Small exposures of ilmenite isolated by drift serve to show the presence at the surface of some of the bodies indicated by the magnetometer,- but most of the hill is covered with glacial till and second growth hardwood. At the lower levels the till gives place to fluvioglacial sands and gravels from which the forest has been cleared. The increasing thickness of the sand and gravel as the hill descends makes the tracing outward of the deposits from the rocky knob of anorthosite a difficult matter. Within the orebodies too, some masses of anorthosite persist, which may account for some local irregularities. Fig. 1 is a photomicrograph, taken by reflected light, of a typical specimen of the ore. The dark patches are hematite and the light parts are ilmenite. No trace of magnetite was found. Fig. 2 is a photo-micrograph of a thin section of the country rock showing the texture of the anorthosite. The mean of four analyses quoted by Robinson1 is: titanium, 19.26 per cent; iron 45:41 per cent.

Jan 1, 1936

By Theodore Swann

DURING recent years, there has been a material increase in the use of ferrophosphorus in the steel industry. It has been observed, when rolling sheets, that those made of Southern iron did not have to be rolled at as high a temperature as the others and, consequently, did not stick together. The reason was found to be the phosphorus content of Southern iron. It was therefore thought that an addition of phosphorus to sheet steel of other than Southern origin would give the same result as the use of Southern iron. At first, this addition was made by intro¬ducing phosphate rock in the blast furnace and reducing it together with the iron ore; but, because of the necessity for only small quantities of this grade of iron, the process was not satisfactory. The manufacture of ferrophosphorus was then introduced, so that additions might be made to the open-hearth furnace or ladle. Ferrophosphorus was first manufactured in the blast furnace. This method, however, can only economically produce a grade of product up to about 20 per cent. To produce a higher grade, it would be necessary to charge a larger proportion of phosphate-bearing material; and as the rate of absorption by the iron is low, there would be an increased loss of phosphorus oxides. This feature makes the production of a higher grade ferrophosphorus in the blast furnace uneconomical. The use of high-grade ferrophosphorus in the steel requires a smaller addition and involves, besides the economies in handling, an additional economy in transportation. The alloy with a higher percentage than 20 per cent. can be made only in the electric furnace. In the ordinary operation of the electric furnace in the production of ferrophosphorus, an alloy may be produced containing 26 per cent. phosphorus; this is the limit, for it does not seem possible to produce a higher phosphorus alloy even if large excesses of phosphatic materials are used. The reasons for the difficulty in raising this percentage of phosphorus are not known. The compounds Fe3P, containing 15.6 per cent., and Fe2P, containing 21.7 per cent. phosphorus, have been studied and it appears as if the alloy produced, containing percentages of

Jan 10, 1924

By Carle R. Hayward

LEAD ore smelting plants have been operating in general at reduced capacities and secondary lead has assumed relatively more importance during the last year. Present smelting practice results in a large amount of dross, often over 25 per -cent, from blast-furnace lead. This is usually treated at a fairly high temperature in a reverberatory furnace to remove part of the lead and produce a matte-speiss product which is shipped to a copper plant. Few smelters are satisfied with this 'treatment. The fume losses are high and the matte-speiss contains considerable lead. It would seem that a fruitful field for research was open here.

Jan 1, 1934

Lieut. Maxwell E. Erdory, now with the Army of Occupation in France, writes as follows: "The 602d Engrs., many of whose officers are members of the Institute, started its active service in France at Avocourt, where we built a road across `No Man's Land.' This road from Avocourt to Montfaucon started us on a career of road building which lasted from Sept. 26 to Nov. 9. The engineer in war has no working hours. Our first job meant 50 hr. continuous work, a layoff of 4 hr. and 18 hr. more. That was our initiation in this war game. "Back in the States we practised building trenches, dugouts, and underground shelters of all sorts. In France we were unfortunate enough to come upon the scene when the so-called open warfare started. That made all the above unnecessary. Roads was the cry and our job was to see that all the artillery got their roads and got over them. "I might mention here that the roads of France, which were in excellent condition except for numerous shell holes, w re one of the leading factors in the rapid termination of the war. "We built a narrow-gage railroad from Romagne to Landre St. George which cost us a few men. At Stenay we did our first bridge building. We built nine bridges across the Meuse, capable of carrying tanks, in 18 hr. The next day the American army crossed these bridges on their way to Virton, Belgium, and the Rhine. " Our course from Virton, Belgium, took us through Longwy, Musson, and Athus, in which towns I inspected the steel plants. In Musson as well as Longwy the Germans had destroyed most of the blast furnaces. This destruction began in August, 1917. In Athus the furnaces were in good condition, the Germans having removed all motors land electrical apparatus, rendering the plant inoperative. I have taken several photos of interest of these plants. "It is but fitting that I say that the engineer in this war has contributed much toward its success but the "Doughboy" is its hero and we engineers one and all say "All hail the Doughboy."

Jan 2, 1919

By A. M. Gaudin

THE so-called Kick law' is generally accepted to . mean that for each reduction to one-half in particle diameter, in a unit weight, the same amount of work is required. In crushing-efficiency calculations on crushing tests it is customary, when basing the calculation on Kick's law, to assign ordinal numbers to each standard sieve size. These ordinal numbers increase by a constant difference with each successive sieve aperture, because standard sieve apertures are in constant ratio. Minus 200-mesh is generally assumed as equivalent to 37 microns in size. By definition, the ordinal number multiplied by the per cent material of any size is equal to the energy units in the material of that size in a unit weight of sample. The sum of all energy units is the energy units content of a unit weight of sample, whether it be crusher feed or product. The difference between the energy units in the product and that in the feed is the tangible result of the work input per unit weight of feed. From this the amount of work necessary for one energy unit may be calculated. This has been done for a quartz crushing-test made at the Intermountain Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines at Salt Lake City, in which the net work going to crushing was carefully measured. The results of this crushing test are given in Table 1.'

Jan 1, 1929

By H. J. Struth

The benefits of proration of oil production were perhaps more concretely realized in 1932 than at any time since the oil industry adopted nation-wide production control. Reduced output of crude petroleum, which brought the daily average of the United States down to approximately 2,000,000 bbl. from a peak in 1931 of more than 2,600,000, had a telling effect on the trend of oil prices. Mid-Continent crude was advanced in price from 776, for 36-gravity oil, to $1.04 a barrel. California crude, of 26-gravity at Signal Hill, moved forward from 736 to 976 a barrel. Pennsylvania crude, the only exception to the upward trend, rose in price from $1.82 per barrel to $2.02, only to react to $1.72. This was due to local conditions which necessitated an adjustment to overcome competition from other areas of the United States. East Texas continued to exert a far-reaching influence on the crude and gasoline market during 1932. Despite the fact that oil prices were advanced in most fields, large quantities of oil were produced in East Texas in violation of state proration orders, and sold in the market at prices considerably below official postings. This created competitive conditions in the gasoline market that were felt by all refining centers of the United States. The quantity of gasoline produced from cheap East Texas crude was not large, but the volume was sufficient to influence prices in practically all sections of the country. Thus, while the industry's' economic situation showed visible improvement statistically, the unreported and unseen statistics originating in East Texas proved to be an insurmountable obstacle to the economic betterment that was otherwise apparently justified. Somewhat surprising to many was the fact that gasoline consumption was maintained within 10 per cent of the preceding year. Domestic consumption showed only a net decline under 1931 of about 8.5 per cent; exports dropped in volume to the extent of about 23 per cent. As a matter of fact, domestic gasoline consumption was only about 1.4 per cent less than it was in the predepression year of 1929. Exports, however,

Jan 1, 1933

By Klaus Schwerdtfeger

The rate of formation of silicon monoxide from silica spheres has been measured at 1500°C in H2, H2-H2O, H2-He, H2-Ar, and CO-CO2 gas mixtures. Indications are that in the hydrogen-containing gases the reaction rate is mainly determined by convective diffz~sion. In the CO-CO2 mixtures the rate approches a constant value which is independent of sphere diometer (and gas velocity). This suggests that a surface reaction becomes rate controlling in CO-CO2 gas. WHENEVER silica is exposed at elevated temperature to a strongly reducing atmosphere there occurs, inevitably, a volatilization of silica by the formation of gaseous silicon monoxide. Because of the importance of this reaction in metallurgical processes and laboratory experiments, its kinetics were studied in the present work. EXPERIMENTAL The spheres made of vitreous silica were suspended by a molybdenum wire in the hot zone of a gas-tight high-purity recrystallized alumina furnace tube of 3.1 cm internal diam and 100 cm length. Molybdenum wire resistance heating was used. A purified H2, H2-H2O, H2-He, H2-Ar, or CO-CO2 gas mixture was passed through the tube, from top to bottom. The amount of silicon monoxide formed was determined by weighing the silica balls before and after the experiments. The silica balls were made from commercially available translucent fused quartz glass. In experiments with hydrogen-containing gases the silica stayed vitreous during the experiment, whereas in experiments with CO-CO2 mixtures, which were performed over longer times, the balls were always crystallized to cristobalite (as determined by X-ray examination) at the surface. Constant-pressure head capillary flowmeters were used to control the composition of H2-He, H2-Ar, and CO-CO2 gas mixtures. The oxygen and water vapor were removed from the gases containing hydrogen by passage through columns containing platinized asbestos (450°C) and an-hydrone. The CO was purified from O2 and CO2 by passing it through activated copper (200°C) and through ascarite. The H2-H2O gas mixtures were prepared by passing purified Hz through a mixture of oxalic acid dihydrate and anhydrous oxalic acid held at a constant temperature in a water bath. The equilibrium water vapor pressures of oxalic acid dihydrate-anhydrous oxalic acid mixtures were taken from the available data.1 The furnace system was checked for sufficient gas tightness at regular intervals. As an additional check, the H2O and CO2 contents were measured in the exit gas and were found to agree closely with the metered contents when H2-H2O or CO-CO2 mixtures were used. When purified H2 was used, H2O pressures found in the exit gas were always below 0.1 mm Hg. These contents originate either from an incomplete reoxidation of silicon monoxide in the cold part of the furnace or from small leaks which cannot be avoided. If the latter is the case, such small uncontrolled H2O contents decrease the partial pressure of SiO in equilibrium with SiO2 by less than about 7 pct, which is considered small in comparison to other experimental uncertainties. The temperature of the furnace was controlled automatically in the usual manner. The reported temperature was measured with a Pl-Pt/l0pct Rh thermocouple and was accurate to ± 5°C. TRANSPORT-CONTROL LED RATE OF REDUCTION The gaseous convective diffusion from the surface of a sphere can be predicted from the semiempirical relationship obtained by Ranz and Marshall2 in a study of the evaporation of water and benzene drops in air. The following equation applies:

Jan 1, 1967

By CHARLES DORRANGE

INTRODUCTION. CULM is a general term used in the anthracite regions for many years to denote a mixture of coal, bony coal and impurities which is sent to the refuse-banks. Thus, 35 years ago culm contained the pea and buckwheat sizes of anthracite; but to-day, and as mentioned in this paper, culm is used specifically to denote the material which passes through the smallest screen in the anthracite-breaker. The smallest size of commercial anthracite is known as No. 3 buckwheat, barley, or bird's-eye coal, and is ordinarily made through a round-punched plate having openings 3/16 in. in diameter, and over a round-punched plate with opening 3/32 in. or 1/16 in. in diameter. Thus culm will consist of coal, bony coal, slate, gravel, iron pyrite, etc., ranging in size from ? 3/32 in. down to dust. Other local terms for culm are " slush," " silt," and " dirt." The first experiments towards the utilization of anthracite culm by briquetting, and the first briquetting-work done in this country, were in 1872 at Port Richmond Piers, Philadelphia, Pa., by E. F., Loiseau.1 Clay was used as a binder and the finished briquette was water-proofed with shellac, etc. Excessive cost was given as the reason for discontinuing work at this plant. The Delaware k Hudson Co., in 1876, built a plant at Rondout, N. Y., which operated until 1880. Gas-tar was used as a binder, and anthracite screenings were briquetted for engine fuel. Excessive cost, poor results in firing, and the tendency of the fuel to cut the boiler-flues were given as the reasons for discontinuing the manufacture. The next plant was built by E. F. Loiseau about 1878, at Nesquehoning, Pa., near the No. 1 or Nesquehoning colliery

Sep 1, 1911